9 Day Tour

Italia Classica

Tour Overview:

Welcome to our Small Group Departures to Italy! Due to their popularity and success, we are excited to offer our most popular Small Group Departures in 2017. With a maximum of 16 participants, the Small Group Departures combine the carefree experience of group travel with the luxury of independent travel at lower rates. Experience everything that Italy has to offer - antiquity, art, history, food and wine with our Small Group tours!

Day 1: Arrival (Thursday)

Benvento in Italia! Upon arrival, you will be met and privately transferred to your hotel. Spend the remainder of your day at leisure exploring the Eternal City. Rome is excellent for walking, and there are many unique neighborhoods to explore. Sample a gelato while leisurely strolling Piazza Navona! Overnight in Rome.

Day 2: Imperial Rome [Dinner] (Friday)

After breakfast enjoy your tour of the Colosseum and Imperial Rome where you will explore several of the most renowned temples of Ancient Rome including those of Vesta, Julius Caesar and Romulus. Visit the Roman Forum, once the center of political and economic life. The remainder of the day is free. This evening meet the tour escort at the hotel bar where you will receive valuable information about your tour and the cities and towns that you are about to visit. Enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Rome.

Day 3: Heart of Rome and Vatican [Breakfast] (Saturday)

After breakfast, meet your guide who will accompany you on a walking tour of the heart of Rome with visits to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Baroque quarter. After lunch on your own, transfer to the Vatican for a guided tour. Vatican art and history have always left a profound impression on its visitors: discover the masterpieces of Greek and Roman ancient art, works of Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. Return to your hotel. Dinner is on your own or you have the option to meet your escort to walk along the narrow streets of ancient Rome and then enjoy a tasty dinner at a local restaurant. See Rome Optional Tours. Overnight in Rome.

Day 4: Siena [Breakfast, Lunch] (Monday)

After breakfast, bid farewell to Rome, and begin your journey into Tuscany. The Tuscan landscape looks like a Renaissance painting where the hills are dotted with vineyards, cypress trees and olive groves. When you reach the walled city of Siena, you will be transported back to the Middle Ages! Upon arrival in Siena, enjoy an authentic Tuscan lunch of wine-tasting with cheese and salami. Later you have free time to visit this beautiful medieval town. Siena’s heart is Il Campo or Campo's Square, where the famous horse race, Il Palio, takes place twice each summer. The town offers Gothic palaces and medieval gates, walls and towers. A highlight is Siena's beautiful Gothic Cathedral. Continue to Florence and en route, stop at a vineyard in Chianti for wine-tasting. Overnight in Florence.

Day 5: Florence [Breakfast] (Tuesday)

In the morning after breakfast, stroll through the fresh market of San Lorenzo where fresh food arrives daily from the Tuscan countryside. Sample a variety of cheeses, fruits and vegetables of the local farmers. After lunch on your own, enjoy a guided walking tour of Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. Lorenzo de Medici transformed Florence by attracting the best artists, architects and writers of the time such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli to whom he commissioned various works. Visit the gems of Florence: Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and Giotto's bell tower, Ponte Vecchio and Santa Croce and the Accademia. Dinner on your own or you have the option to take a sunset walk to explore the hidden Florence and a traditional Tuscan dinner at a local Trattoria (See Florence Optional Tours). Overnight in Florence.

Day 6: Florence [Breakfast] (Wednesday)

Day at leisure. You have the option to visit the Uffizi Gallery, nearby Pisa, take a bike tour through the Tuscan countryside or a day trip to the Cinque Terre (See Florence Optional Tours) Overnight in Florence.

Day 7: Venice [Breakfast, Dinner] (Thursday)

After breakfast, transfer to the railway station for your train to Venice. Upon arrival into Venice, you will be assisted and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour of Venice, one of the world’s most enchanting cities. Your guide will share the history and origins of the main monuments: Basilica di San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and the famous Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) and the Grand Canal. In the evening, enjoy a 45-minute sunset walking tour of Venice followed by a delicious Venetian dinner. Overnight in Venice.

Day 8: Venice [Breakfast] (Friday)

Free time in Venice to wander, at will, the hidden treasures of the less-traveled streets and canals. You can combine your walk with Venice’s water buses (vaporetti) to experience the best of this unique city. Consider an optional tour to the Venetial Islands or a romantic gondola ride (See Venice Optional Tours) Overnight in Venice.

Day 9: Venice – Departure [Breakfast] (Saturday)

After breakfast, make your own way to the airport for your flight home.

T|

Double Occupancy

Single Occupancy

Apr 13, 27

$2035

$3035

May 4, 18

$2135

$3225

Jun 1, 15, 29

$2135

$3225

Jul 13

$1970

$2935

Jul 27

$1770

$2560

Aug 10

$1770

$2560

Aug 24

$1760

$2545

Sep 7

$2135

$3225

Sep 21

$2090

$3140

Oct 5

$2090

$3140

Oct 19

$2030

$3025

Nov 2

$1655

$2345

Nov 9, 16

$1595

$2225

Free time in Siena

Tour Escort

1 lunch with wine tasting

First-class train from Florence to Venice + luggage handling at railway station

OPTIONAL: Transatlantic contracted air fare available from USA gateways.

Departures: Specified Thursdays

Land rates are indicated per person in double occupancy or single occupancy. Gratuities not included.

All departures are guaranteed with minimum of 2 participants.

If group consists of fewer than 7 participants, the tour will be operated with a tour host. The tour host will visit guests daily and assist with check-in and check-out. The tour host will escort guests to restaurants and is available 24 hours by toll-free telephone. The tour host will not accompany guests. An English-speaking driver will accompany group. Sightseeing will not be private and guests may join a scheduled tour with possibly more than 16 participants

City taxes are additional and paid directly to hotel

Pisa and Lucca Group Tour in Florence

Lucca and Pisa are two of the most important historical towns in Tuscany yet the two cities that are close in proximity are very different in personality. You will find Pisa along the road that leads to the coast from Florence. Our guide will show you the most important squares and monuments in Pisa: the famous Piazza dei Miracoli with the Leaning Tower, the Cemetery and the Cathedral. The tour continues with a visit to a typical local wine shop, where you will taste the wines of the area. Free time is available for lunch. Then continues to Lucca, where you will have free time on arrival. It is a distinctive city of art and Renaissance style surrounded by walls interrupted by beautiful gates and ramparts. First you will take a pleasant walk on your own along a section of the town walls and enjoy beautiful views over the roofs, alleys, house-towers, churches and marvelous noble palazzos. Then you will be led to the old town center to see Piazza Anfiteatro, Guinigi tower, St. Martin’s Cathedral. End the day with a pleasant ride back to Florence.

Sunset Walk & Dinner in Florence

Enjoy a guided 45-minute walk in the heart of Florence around Piazza della Republica, Piazza della Signoria and Via dei Calzaiuoli. You will learn about the Italian culture, its highly-acclaimed cuisine and way of living. After the walking tour, dine at a local Italian Trattoria where you will enjoy a 3-course meal.

Sunset Walk & Dinner in Rome

Enjoy a guided 45-minute walk in the heart of Rome and will learn about the Italian culture, its highly-acclaimed cuisine and way of living. After the walking tour, dine at a local Italian Trattoria where you will enjoy a 3-course meal.

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